Cloud-controlled vehicle security system

ABSTRACT

Incidents may be monitored using a camera in response to an activation of a trigger device. Trigger data may be received over a communication network in response to activation of a trigger device disposed within a first area of a vehicle. A camera disposed within a second area of the vehicle may be controlled over the communication network in response to receiving the trigger data, the controlling causing the camera to capture sensor information of a passenger of the vehicle. Passenger information of the passenger of the vehicle may be obtained in response to receiving the trigger data. An alert notification may be generated. The alert notification may comprise at least a portion of the sensor information of the passenger, and the alert notification may be capable of initiating one or more incident actions associated with the passenger.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosure relates generally to monitoring and reporting an incidentin a vehicle.

BACKGROUND

Under traditional approaches, ridesharing platforms may be able toconnect passengers and drivers on relatively short notice. However,traditional ridesharing platforms suffer from a variety of safety andsecurity risks for both passengers and drivers.

SUMMARY

A claimed solution rooted in computer technology overcomes problemsspecifically arising in the realm of computer technology. In variousimplementations, a computing system is configured to receive, over acommunication network, trigger data in response to activation of atrigger device disposed within a first area of a vehicle. For example, apanic button may be placed underneath a steering wheel of the vehicle,and a driver may press the panic button which may then cause the triggerdata to be provided to the computing system using a hotspot of thedriver's mobile device. In response to receiving the trigger data, thecomputing system may control a camera disposed within a second area ofthe vehicle to capture sensor information (e.g., video, pictures, audio)of a passenger of the vehicle (e.g., a passenger sitting in a back-seatof the vehicle). The camera may be disposed on a windshield and/or otherarea of the vehicle such that the camera can capture sensor informationof the driver and/or the passenger of the vehicle.

The computing system may obtain, in response to receiving the triggerdata, passenger information of the passenger of the vehicle. Forexample, the computing system may look up the passenger's name, address,and/or the like, based on a user account of the passenger (e.g., theuser account that was used to request the ride with the driver). Inanother example, the computing system may use the sensor information, inaddition to and/or instead of the user account, to obtain the passengerinformation. For example, the computing system may scan the capturedsensor information to identify the passenger (e.g., using facialrecognition analysis). If the scan does not return any results, and/orif it returns a different result than indicated by the associated useraccount (e.g., a picture in the user account), the system indicate thatthe passenger may be using a fake account and/or may be using anotheruser's account.

In some embodiments, the computer system may generate alertnotifications based on the passenger information and the sensorinformation. For example, the alert notifications may be used to triggerone or more incident actions, such as suspending and/or terminating theuser account of the passenger.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is directed to a methodconfigured to receive, over a communication network, trigger data inresponse to activation of a trigger device disposed within a first areaof a vehicle. In response to receiving the trigger data, the method maycontrol, over the communication network, a camera disposed within asecond area of the vehicle to capture sensor information of a passengerof the vehicle. The method may obtain, in response to receiving thetrigger data, passenger information of the passenger of the vehicle. Insome embodiments, the method may generate alert notifications based onthe passenger information and the sensor information. For example, thealert notification may be used to trigger one or more incident actions,such as suspending and/or terminating the user account of the passenger.

Yet another aspect of the present disclosure is directed to anon-transitory computer-readable storage medium configured withinstructions executable by one or more processors to cause the one ormore processors to perform operations configured to receive, over acommunication network, trigger data in response to activation of atrigger device disposed within a first area of a vehicle. In response toreceiving the trigger data, the operations may control, over thecommunication network, a camera disposed within a second area of thevehicle to capture sensor information of a passenger of the vehicle. Theoperations may obtain, in response to receiving the trigger data,passenger information of the passenger of the vehicle. In someembodiments, the operations may generate alert notifications based onthe passenger information and the sensor information. For example, thealert notifications may be used to trigger one or more incident actions,such as suspending and/or terminating the user account of the passenger.

In some embodiments, controlling the camera may include switching thecamera from a powered-off state to a powered-on state.

In some embodiments, controlling the camera may include causing thecamera to live-stream the sensor information of the passenger of thevehicle.

In some embodiments, the passenger information may include a name of thepassenger.

In some embodiments, the passenger information may be obtained based onuser account information of the passenger and a facial recognitionanalysis of the sensor information.

In some embodiments, the communication network may include a hotspot ofa mobile device of a driver of the vehicle.

In some embodiments, the first area of the vehicle may include an areathat is not visible to the passenger of the vehicle.

In some embodiments, the second area of the vehicle may include an areaof the vehicle that is visible the passenger of the vehicle and a driverof the vehicle.

In some embodiments, controlling the camera may include causes thecamera to capture sensor information of a driver of the vehicle.

In some embodiments, an identity of the driver may be verified based onthe captured sensor information of the driver.

In some embodiments, the one or more incident actions may include any ofsuspending or canceling a user account of the passenger.

These and other features of the systems, methods, and non-transitorycomputer readable media disclosed herein, as well as the methods ofoperation and functions of the related elements of structure and thecombination of parts and economies of manufacture, will become moreapparent upon consideration of the following description and theappended claims with reference to the accompanying drawings, all ofwhich form a part of this specification, wherein like reference numeralsdesignate corresponding parts in the various figures. It is to beexpressly understood, however, that the drawings are for purposes ofillustration and description only and are not intended as a definitionof the limits of the invention. It is to be understood that theforegoing general description and the following detailed description areexemplary and explanatory only, and are not restrictive of theinvention, as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred and non-limiting embodiments of the invention may be morereadily understood by referring to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example environment for an in-car security system,in accordance with various embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates a flowchart of an example method for monitoring anincident, in accordance with various embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates a flowchart of an example method for monitoring anincident, in accordance with various embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart of an example method for detecting anincident, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart of an example method for detecting anincident, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram that illustrates a computer system upon whichany of the embodiments described herein may be implemented.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Specific, non-limiting embodiments of the present invention will now bedescribed with reference to the drawings. It should be understood thatparticular features and aspects of any embodiment disclosed herein maybe used and/or combined with particular features and aspects of anyother embodiment disclosed herein. It should also be understood thatsuch embodiments are by way of example and are merely illustrative of asmall number of embodiments within the scope of the present invention.Various changes and modifications obvious to one skilled in the art towhich the present invention pertains are deemed to be within the spirit,scope and contemplation of the present invention as further defined inthe appended claims.

The approaches disclosed herein may improve the safety and security of aride sharing service. A driver may have access to a hidden panic button,which may be used to indicate an incident is occurring. Activating thepanic button may turn on a camera in the vehicle. The camera may be usedto collect evidence about the incident, including images of thepassenger and driver. An incident report may be generated included thecollected evidence. The security system may improve the efficiency ofprocessing incidents, and the user experience of the ride sharingplatform.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example environment 100 for an in-car securitysystem, in accordance with various embodiments. The example environment100 may include a computing system 102, a cloud service 104, and ahotspot device 106. The computing system 102 may be implemented in oneor more networks (e.g., enterprise networks), one or more endpoints, orone or more servers. The cloud service 104 may include a cluster ofservers and other devices which are distributed across a network. Thehotspot device 106 may be implemented on or as various devices such as amobile phone, tablet, server, desktop computer, laptop computer,wearable device (e.g., smart watch, helmet camera), dash cam, vehicle(e.g., car, truck, boat, train, autonomous vehicle, electric scooter,electric bike), etc. The hotspot device 106 may connect to vehicle 122,camera 124, panic button 126, and other devices through one or morecommunication networks. For example, the hotspot device 106 may connectto other devices over the internet, through a local network (e.g., LAN),or through direct communication (e.g., Bluetooth, radio frequency,infrared). The hotspot device 106 may be part of the Internet of things(IoT). Although only a single camera 124 and panic button 126 are shownin FIG. 1, environment 100 may include multiple cameras and panicbuttons. Cameras and panic buttons may be located in various locationsboth inside and outside of vehicle 122. The computing system 102 maycommunicate with the computing devices 104 and 106, and other computingdevices. The computing system 102, the cloud service 104, and thehotspot device 106 may be connected through one or more communicationnetworks, and may communicate using one or more communication protocols.

While the computing system 102, the cloud service 104, and the hotspotdevice 106 are shown in FIG. 1 as single entities, this is merely forease of reference and is not meant to be limiting. One or morecomponents or functionalities of the computing system 102, the cloudservice 104, or the hotspot device 106 described herein may beimplemented in a single computing device or multiple computing devices.For example, one or more components/functionalities of the computingsystem 102 may be implemented in the cloud service 104, the hotspotdevice 106, or distributed across multiple computing devices.

The computing system 102, the cloud service 104, and the hotspot device106 may include one or more processors (e.g., a digital processor, ananalog processor, a digital circuit designed to process information, acentral processing unit, a graphics processing unit, a microcontrolleror microprocessor, an analog circuit designed to process information, astate machine, and/or other mechanisms for electronically processinginformation) and memory (e.g., permanent memory, temporary memory). Theprocessor(s) may be configured to perform various operations byinterpreting machine-readable instructions stored in the memory. Thecomputing system 102, the cloud service 104, and the hotspot device 106may include other computing resources. In some implementations, thecomputing system 102 and the hotspot device 106 may comprise a singleself-contained hardware device configured to be communicatively coupledor physically attached to a component of a computer system. In someimplementations, the computing system 102 and the hotspot device 106 mayinclude an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or afield-programmable gate array (FPGA) configured to perform transactionverification operations associated with one or more decentralizedapplications. The computing system 102, the cloud service 104, and thehotspot device 106 may be installed with appropriate software (e.g.,platform program, etc.) and/or hardware (e.g., wires, wirelessconnections, etc.) to access other devices of the environment 100. Thecomputing system 102 may include a data component 112, a devicemanagement component 114, a model component 116, an alert component 118,and public APIs 119. The public APIs 119 may be configured to allow theother components of computing system 102 to communicate with otherapplications (apps) 138. The computing system 102 may include othercomponents.

The data component 112 may be configured to receive trigger data over acommunication network in response to activation of a trigger devicedisposed within a first area of a vehicle. In some embodiments, the datacomponent 112 may be configured to receive trigger data from a triggerdevice in a vehicle. In some embodiments, the vehicle may includevehicle 122. Vehicle 122 may include a car, truck, boat, train, orautonomous vehicle. In some embodiments, vehicle 122 may be a vehicleused for ride sharing. In some embodiments, the communication networkmay include the hotspot device 106. In some embodiments, the hotspotdevice 106 may include a mobile device of a driver of the vehicle. Insome embodiments, the hotspot device 106 may be configured to generate ahotspot. In some embodiments, the hotspot device 106 may include thevehicle 122. In some embodiments, the hotspot device 106 may include avideo streaming device. In some embodiments, the communication networkmay include cloud service 104. In some embodiments, the communicationnetwork may include computing system 102.

In some embodiments, the trigger device may include panic button 126. Insome embodiments, activation of the trigger device may include thedriver activating the panic button 126. In some embodiments, the triggerdata may include information indicating that an incident is in progressor has already occurred. In some embodiments, the trigger device mayinclude a mechanical button or switch. In some embodiments, the panicbutton 126 may connect to the hotspot device 106. In some embodiments,the first area of the vehicle may include an area that is not visible tothe passenger of the vehicle. For example, the first area may be locatedunder the driver's seat, or behind the steering wheel. In someembodiments, the trigger data may include an indication that a driver ofthe vehicle is distressed.

In some embodiments, the trigger device may comprise a phone of a driverof a vehicle. For example, the phone of the driver may include hotspotdevice 106. In some embodiments, the trigger data may comprisesuspicious event data indicating that an incident may be occurring. Insome embodiments, the trigger data may comprise a phrase spoken by thedriver. In some embodiments, the phrase may be set by the driver. Forexample, the driver may set the phrase to be “Would you like somespearmint candy?” This may allow activation of the trigger devicewithout alerting passengers in the vehicle. In some embodiments, thephrase may be stored with the driver's profile. In some embodiments, thephrase may be associated with a crime. For example, “Take everything,but please don't hurt me!” In some embodiments, activation of thetrigger device may include recognizing the phrase. In some embodiments,the phrase can be detected by hotspot device 106. In some embodiments,the phrase my be recognized using speech analysis. In some embodiments,speech analysis may be performed at hotspot device 106, at cloud service104, or at computing device 102. For example, speech analysis may beperformed using software development kits (SDKs) on hotspot device 106.

In some embodiments, the trigger data may include phone sensor data fromthe phone of the driver (e.g., hotspot device 106). In some embodiments,phone sensor data may include acceleration data. In some embodiments,phone sensor data may include movement data. In some embodiments, phonesensor data may include orientation data. Acceleration data, movementdata, and orientation data may be detected using an accelerometer or agyroscope. In some embodiments, phone sensor data may include proximitydata. Proximity data may be obtained from a proximity sensor. In someembodiments, phone sensor data may include a power status of the phone(e.g., on, off, sleep). In some embodiments, phone sensor data mayinclude lighting data. Lighting data may be obtained from a lightsensor.

In some embodiments, the data component 112 may be configured to obtainsensor information from other devices in vehicle 122. In someembodiments, the data component 112 may obtain image data from camera124. Camera 124 may be located in vehicle 122. In some embodiments,camera 124 may be connected to hotspot device 106. In some embodiments,camera 124 may be integrated into hotspot device 106.

Sensor information captured by the camera may include still images, avideo recording, or a live stream of image data. In some embodiments,data component 112 may connect with live stream 132. Live stream 132 mayinclude a service or application located internally or externally tocomputing system 102. In some embodiments, multiple still images may becaptured during a trip. In some embodiments, camera 124 may include awide angle lens. In some embodiments, camera 124 may include nightvision. Tradeoff may be considered when the data component 112 obtainssensor information. Factors considered in the tradeoff may include powerconsumption, data consumption, and image or video quality. In someembodiments, passengers using the rider sharing service may be given theoption to pick vehicles with cameras. For example, vehicles with camerasmay have a higher cost.

In some embodiments, the data component 112 may obtain audio (e.g.,voice) data from a microphone. The microphone may be included in hotspotdevice 106, camera 124, or vehicle 122. In some embodiments, the sensorinformation may include information which may be used to identify thedriver and the passengers in vehicle 112. For example, image data mayinclude a face of the driver or a face of the passengers. Voice data maybe used to identify the driver or the passengers. In some embodiments,data component 112 may connect to data and business intelligence (BI)platform 134. Data and BI platform 134 may perform data processing(e.g., image processing, video processing, audio processing). In someembodiments, a buffer of sensor data may be maintained. The buffer mayupdate continuously before panic button 126 is activated. The datacomponent 112 may be configured to obtain the buffer of sensor after thetrigger data is obtained. For example, a buffer may be stored in hotspotdevice 106, and transmitted to data component 112 after activation ofpanic button 126.

The device management component 114 may be configured to control devicesin vehicle 122. For example, the device management component 114 maycontrol hotspot device 106, camera 124, or any other device connected tohotspot device 106. In some embodiments, the device management component114 may connect to operating (OP) system 136. OP system 136 mayinterface between hardware and software components. In some embodiments,the device management component 114 may control a camera disposed withina second area of a vehicle over a communication network in response toreceiving trigger data. For example, the device management component 114may control camera 124 to perform real-time monitoring in response tothe driver pushing panic button 126. This may reduce the processing timeof an incident. In some embodiments, the device management component 114may cause the camera to capture sensor information of a passenger of thevehicle.

In some embodiments, controlling the camera may comprise switching thecamera from a powered-off state to a powered-on state. This may allowthe camera to not record all the time and resources (e.g., battery life,network data). In some embodiments, controlling the camera may comprisecausing the camera to live-stream the sensor information of thepassenger of the vehicle. In some embodiments, controlling the cameramay comprise adjusting a zoom level of the camera. For example, thecamera may zoom in or zoom out using either digital or optical zoom.Zooming out may allow a broader field of view to be captured. Forexample, the camera may need to zoom out to capture image data ofmultiple passengers. Digitally zooming in may allow a smaller amount ofdata to be transmitted through hotspot device 106. In some embodiments,controlling the camera may comprise changing the direction the camera isfacing. In some embodiments, the device management component 114 maycause the camera to capture sensor information of a driver of thevehicle. In some embodiments, the second area of the vehicle maycomprise an area of the vehicle that is visible to the passenger of thevehicle and a driver of the vehicle. In some embodiments, controllingthe camera may occur autonomously. In some embodiments, controlling thecamera may include providing instructions to the driver. For example,the instruction may include telling the driver to shift the camera tothe left.

In some embodiments, the device management component 114 may controlhotspot device 106, vehicle 122, or camera 124 to broadcast an audiomessage. The audio message may include a greeting message and a warningmessage. For example, once a trip is started a voice message could bebroadcasted, such as a thanks for choosing the transportation service.In some embodiments, a warning message may warn passengers that a camerais on board. In some embodiments, the audio message may provide thedriver with instructions for handling the incident. In some embodiments,the warning message may be broadcast in response to the activation ofthe trigger device. The broadcast audio message may deter incidents andimprove the safety experience for both the driver and the passenger. Insome embodiments, the device management component 114 may controlhotspot device 106, vehicle 122, or camera 124 to capture audio data.For example, a two way communication channel may be opened.

The model component 116 may be configured to obtaining passengerinformation of the passenger of the vehicle in response to receiving thetrigger data. In some embodiments, the passenger information maycomprise a name and/or an address of the passenger. In some embodiments,the passenger information may be obtained based on user accountinformation of the passenger. In some embodiments, the passengerinformation may be obtained based on a voice recognition analysis of thesensor information. In some embodiments, the passenger information maybe obtained based on a facial recognition analysis of the sensorinformation. For example, photos may be stored in a database with useraccounts, and the captured sensor information may be compared to thestored photos to identify the passenger. In some embodiments, the modelcomponent 116 may obtain facial recognition results from a facialrecognition service. For example, the facial recognition service may beincluded in other apps 138. The model component 116 may utilize APIs 119to connect with the facial recognition service.

The alert component 118 may be configured to generate an alertnotification. The alert notification may comprise at least a portion ofthe sensor information of the passenger. The alert notification may becapable of initiating one or more incident actions associated with thepassenger. In some embodiments, the one or more incident actions maycomprise any of suspending or canceling a user account of the passenger.In some embodiments, sensor information and passenger information may bestored as evidence. For example, the evidence may include images of thepassenger and driver. In some embodiments, the sensor information may beused to identify false accusations. For example, when an argument occursbetween the driver and the passenger over price, the passenger may makefalse accusations of harassment or assault. The sensor informationincluding the verbal argument over price may be stored as evidence ofwhat actually happened. In some embodiments, evidence may be provided tothe police. For example, voice records and photos of the passengers maybe provided to the police to help identify fugitives. In someembodiments, the sensor information may be used to identify trafficaccidents.

The alert component 118 may be configured to generate an incident reportbased on the trigger data. In some embodiments, the incident report maycomprise driver information of a driver of the vehicle. In someembodiments, the trigger data may comprise an activation or deactivationof the trigger device. In some embodiments, activation of the triggerdevice may include detecting a change in the sensor information. In someembodiments, the change in the sensor information may be determined bycomparing the current sensor information to standard sensor information.In some embodiments, the current sensor information may include phonesensor data from the phone of the driver. In some embodiments, thestandard sensor information may include standard conditions. In someembodiment, the trigger data may include a result of the comparison. Forexample, the trigger data may include an indication that the variancebetween the current sensor information and the standard sensorinformation is greater than a threshold amount.

In some embodiments, generating the incident report based on the triggerdata may comprise comparing phone sensor data from the phone of thedriver to standard conditions. For example, standard conditions mayinclude remaining mostly level, a constant light sensor reading, adistant reading from a proximity sensor, the phone being plugged in andcharging, and a high battery level. In some embodiments, the standardsensor information may include the phone remaining level throughout theduration of a trip. In some embodiments, the standard sensor informationmay include the phone remaining plugged in throughout the duration of atrip. In some embodiments, the standard sensor information may includedetecting a high amount of light by the light sensor. Abnormal phonesensor data may include a rapid change in orientation, a change to a lowlight level, a reduction in the distance reading from the proximitysensor, and the phone becoming unplugged during a trip.

In some embodiments, the alert component 118 may determine that anincident has occurred in response to the comparison of the phone sensordata to standard conditions. For example, the comparison may indicatethat the driver's phone has been grabbed by the passenger, and thepassenger has put the driver's phone in their pocket. In someembodiments, an incident report may be generated for the incident. Insome embodiments, it may be determined that the phone of the driver hasbeen grabbed based on the acceleration data. The trigger data mayinclude an indication that the phone has been grabbed. In someembodiments, it may be determined whether the phone of the driver isinside a pocket using the proximity data. In some embodiments, the alertcomponent 118 may filter out false alert notifications using trip statusinformation. For example, if a driver continues to a destination, it maybe determined that the trigger data is a false positive.

In some embodiments, the alert component 118 may be configured to blocka user account of the driver in a ride sharing application. In someembodiments, blocking the user account of the driver may prevents thedriver from appearing to riders in the ride sharing application.Blocking the user account of the driver may prevent the passenger fromusing the driver's account to commit additional crimes. In someembodiments, alert component 118 may determine that a passenger was inthe vehicle at a time at which the trigger data was obtained. In someembodiments, a second user account of the passenger may be blocked inthe ride sharing application.

FIG. 2 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 200 for monitoringan incident, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.The method 200 may be implemented in various environments including, forexample, the environment 100 of FIG. 1. The operations of the method 200presented below are intended to be illustrative. Depending on theimplementation, the method 200 may include additional, fewer, oralternative steps performed in various orders or in parallel. The method200 may be implemented in various computing systems or devices includingone or more processors.

With respect to the method 200, at block 201, trigger data may bereceived over a communication network in response to activation of atrigger device disposed within a first area of a vehicle. At block 202,a camera disposed within a second area of the vehicle may be controlledover the communication network in response to receiving the triggerdata, the controlling causing the camera to capture sensor informationof a passenger of the vehicle. At block 203, passenger information ofthe passenger of the vehicle may be obtained in response to receivingthe trigger data. At block 204, an alert notification may be generated.The alert notification may comprise at least a portion of the sensorinformation of the passenger, and the alert notification may be capableof initiating one or more incident actions associated with thepassenger.

FIG. 3 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 300 for monitoringan incident, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.The method 300 may be implemented in various environments including, forexample, the environment 100 of FIG. 1. The operations of the method 300presented below are intended to be illustrative. Depending on theimplementation, the method 300 may include additional, fewer, oralternative steps performed in various orders or in parallel. The method300 may be implemented in various computing systems or devices includingone or more processors.

With respect to the method 300, at block 301, trigger data may beobtained in response to activation of a trigger device. At block 302,the trigger data may be sent over a communication network. In someembodiments, the communication network may comprise a hotspot of amobile device of a driver of the vehicle. At block 303, a control signalmay be received over the communication network. At block 304, the cameramay be switched from a powered-off state to a powered-on state. In someembodiments, the camera may be switched on in response to receiving thecontrol signal. At block 305, sensor information may be captured fromthe camera. In some embodiments, the sensor information may include oneor more of the driver and the passenger of the vehicle. At block 306,the sensor information may be transmitted over the communicationnetwork. For example, the transmission may include a live-stream. Atblock 307, passenger information of a passenger may be obtained based onuser account information of the passenger and a facial recognitionanalysis of the sensor information. At block 308, an identity may beverified based on the captured sensor information. For example, theidentity of the driver may be verified. At block 309, an alertnotification may be generated. The alert notification may comprise atleast a portion of the sensor information. In some embodiments, one ormore incident actions associated with the passenger may be initiated inresponse to the alert notification. For example, a user account of thepassenger may be suspended or canceled.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 400 for detecting anincident, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.The method 400 may be implemented in various environments including, forexample, the environment 100 of FIG. 1. The operations of the method 400presented below are intended to be illustrative. Depending on theimplementation, the method 400 may include additional, fewer, oralternative steps performed in various orders or in parallel. The method400 may be implemented in various computing systems or devices includingone or more processors.

With respect to the method 400, at block 401, trigger data from atrigger device in a vehicle may be received over a communicationnetwork. At block 402, an incident report may be generated based on thetrigger data. The incident report may comprise driver information of adriver of the vehicle. At block 403, a user account of the driver in aride sharing application may be blocked.

FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 500 for detecting anincident, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.The method 500 may be implemented in various environments including, forexample, the environment 100 of FIG. 1. The operations of the method 500presented below are intended to be illustrative. Depending on theimplementation, the method 500 may include additional, fewer, oralternative steps performed in various orders or in parallel. The method500 may be implemented in various computing systems or devices includingone or more processors.

With respect to the method 500, at block 501, phone sensor data may becaptured from a phone of a driver. At block 502, the phone sensor datamay be sent over a communication network. At block 503, the phone sensordata may be compared to standard conditions. At block 504, it may bedetermined that an incident has occurred in response to the comparison.At block 505, an incident report may be generated for the incident. Atblock 506, a user account of the driver in a ride sharing applicationmay be blocked. In some embodiments, blocking the user account of thedriver may prevent the driver from appearing to riders in the ridesharing application. In some embodiments, blocking a user account maysuspend or cancel the user account. At block 507, it may be determinedthat a passenger was in the vehicle at a time at which the phone sensordata was obtained. At block 508, a second user account of the passengerin the ride sharing application may be blocked.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram that illustrates a computer system 600 uponwhich any of the embodiments described herein may be implemented. Thecomputer system 600 includes a bus 602 or other communication mechanismfor communicating information, one or more hardware processors 604coupled with bus 602 for processing information. Hardware processor(s)604 may be, for example, one or more general purpose microprocessors.

The computer system 600 also includes a main memory 606, such as arandom access memory (RAM), cache and/or other dynamic storage devices,coupled to bus 602 for storing information and instructions to beexecuted by processor(s) 604. Main memory 606 also may be used forstoring temporary variables or other intermediate information duringexecution of instructions to be executed by processor(s) 604. Suchinstructions, when stored in storage media accessible to processor(s)604, render computer system 600 into a special-purpose machine that iscustomized to perform the operations specified in the instructions. Mainmemory 606 may include non-volatile media and/or volatile media.Non-volatile media may include, for example, optical or magnetic disks.Volatile media may include dynamic memory. Common forms of media mayinclude, for example, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk, solidstate drive, magnetic tape, or any other magnetic data storage medium, aCD-ROM, any other optical data storage medium, any physical medium withpatterns of holes, a RAM, a DRAM, a PROM, and EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM,NVRAM, any other memory chip or cartridge, and networked versions of thesame.

The computer system 600 may implement the techniques described hereinusing customized hard-wired logic, one or more ASICs or FPGAs, firmwareand/or program logic which in combination with the computer systemcauses or programs computer system 600 to be a special-purpose machine.According to one embodiment, the techniques herein are performed bycomputer system 600 in response to processor(s) 604 executing one ormore sequences of one or more instructions contained in main memory 606.Such instructions may be read into main memory 606 from another storagemedium, such as storage device 608. Execution of the sequences ofinstructions contained in main memory 606 causes processor(s) 604 toperform the process steps described herein.

For example, the computing system 600 may be used to implement thecomputing system 102, the cloud service 104, and the hotspot device 106shown in FIG. 1. As another example, the processes/methods shown inFIGS. 2-5 and described in connection with this figure may beimplemented by computer program instructions stored in main memory 606.When these instructions are executed by processor(s) 604, they mayperform the steps as shown in FIGS. 2-5 and described above. Inalternative embodiments, hard-wired circuitry may be used in place of orin combination with software instructions.

The computer system 600 also includes a communication interface 610coupled to bus 602. Communication interface 610 provides a two-way datacommunication coupling to one or more network links that are connectedto one or more networks. As another example, communication interface 610may be a local area network (LAN) card to provide a data communicationconnection to a compatible LAN (or WAN component to communicated with aWAN). Wireless links may also be implemented.

The performance of certain of the operations may be distributed amongthe processors, not only residing within a single machine, but deployedacross a number of machines. In some example embodiments, the processorsor processor-implemented engines may be located in a single geographiclocation (e.g., within a home environment, an office environment, or aserver farm). In other example embodiments, the processors orprocessor-implemented engines may be distributed across a number ofgeographic locations.

Certain embodiments are described herein as including logic or a numberof components. Components may constitute either software components(e.g., code embodied on a machine-readable medium) or hardwarecomponents (e.g., a tangible unit capable of performing certainoperations which may be configured or arranged in a certain physicalmanner). As used herein, for convenience, components of the computingsystem 102 may be described as performing or configured for performingan operation, when the components may comprise instructions which mayprogram or configure the computing system 102 to perform the operation.

While examples and features of disclosed principles are describedherein, modifications, adaptations, and other implementations arepossible without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosedembodiments. Also, the words “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” and“including,” and other similar forms are intended to be equivalent inmeaning and be open ended in that an item or items following any one ofthese words is not meant to be an exhaustive listing of such item oritems, or meant to be limited to only the listed item or items. It mustalso be noted that as used herein and in the appended claims, thesingular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural references unless thecontext clearly dictates otherwise.

The embodiments illustrated herein are described in sufficient detail toenable those skilled in the art to practice the teachings disclosed.Other embodiments may be used and derived therefrom, such thatstructural and logical substitutions and changes may be made withoutdeparting from the scope of this disclosure. The Detailed Description,therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope ofvarious embodiments is defined only by the appended claims, along withthe full range of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system comprising: one or more processors; anda memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or moreprocessors, cause the system to perform: receiving, over a communicationnetwork, trigger data in response to activation of a trigger devicedisposed within a first area of a vehicle, wherein the first area of thevehicle comprises an area that is invisible to a passenger of thevehicle, the first area is under a driver seat or behind a steeringwheel of the vehicle; controlling, over the communication network inresponse to receiving the trigger data, a camera disposed within asecond area of the vehicle, wherein the controlling comprises switchingthe camera from a powered-off state to a powered-on state, and causescausing the camera to capture sensor information of the passenger of thevehicle, the sensor information including at least one of: an image, avideo recording, and a live stream of image data of the passenger;obtaining, in response to receiving the trigger data, passengerinformation of the passenger of the vehicle based on user accountinformation of the passenger and a facial recognition analysis of thesensor information; generating an alert notification, the alertnotification comprising at least a portion of the sensor information ofthe passenger, the alert notification being capable of initiating one ormore incident actions associated with the passenger.
 2. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the controlling the camera comprises causing the camerato live-stream the sensor information of the passenger of the vehicle.3. The system of claim 1, wherein the passenger information comprises aname of the passenger.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein thecommunication network comprises a hotspot of a mobile device of a driverof the vehicle.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the second area of thevehicle comprises an area of the vehicle that is visible the passengerof the vehicle and a driver of the vehicle.
 6. The system of claim 1,wherein the controlling causes the camera to capture sensor informationof a driver of the vehicle.
 7. The system of claim 6, wherein theinstructions further cause the system to verify an identity of thedriver based on the captured sensor information of the driver.
 8. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the one or more incident actions comprise anyof suspending or canceling a user account of the passenger.
 9. A method,comprising: receiving, over a communication network, trigger data inresponse to activation of a trigger device disposed within a first areaof a vehicle, wherein the first area of the vehicle comprises an areathat is invisible to a passenger of the vehicle, the first area is undera driver seat or behind a steering wheel of the vehicle; controlling,over the communication network in response to receiving the triggerdata, a camera disposed within a second area of the vehicle, wherein thecontrolling comprises switching the camera from a powered-off state to apowered-on state, and causes causing the camera to capture sensorinformation of the passenger of the vehicle, the sensor informationincluding at least one of: an image, a video recording, and a livestream of image data of the passenger; obtaining, in response toreceiving the trigger data, passenger information of the passenger ofthe vehicle based on user account information of the passenger and afacial recognition analysis of the sensor information; generating analert notification, the alert notification comprising at least a portionof the sensor information of the passenger, the alert notification beingcapable of initiating one or more incident actions associated with thepassenger.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the communication networkcomprises a hotspot of a mobile device of a driver of the vehicle. 11.The method of claim 9, wherein the second area of the vehicle comprisesan area of the vehicle that is visible the passenger of the vehicle anda driver of the vehicle.
 12. A non-transitory computer-readable storagemedium configured with instructions executable by one or more processorsto cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:receiving, over a communication network, trigger data in response toactivation of a trigger device disposed within a first area of avehicle, wherein the first area of the vehicle comprises an area that isinvisible to a passenger of the vehicle, the first area is under adriver seat or behind a steering wheel of the vehicle; controlling, overthe communication network in response to receiving the trigger data, acamera disposed within a second area of the vehicle, wherein thecontrolling comprises switching the camera from a powered-off state to apowered-on state, and causes causing the camera to capture sensorinformation of the passenger of the vehicle, the sensor informationincluding at least one of: an image, a video recording, and a livestream of image data of the passenger; obtaining, in response toreceiving the trigger data, passenger information of the passenger ofthe vehicle based on user account information of the passenger and afacial recognition analysis of the sensor information; generating analert notification, the alert notification comprising at least a portionof the sensor information of the passenger, the alert notification beingcapable of initiating one or more incident actions associated with thepassenger.
 13. The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more incidentactions comprise any of suspending or canceling a user account of thepassenger.
 14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium ofclaim 12, wherein the one or more incident actions comprise any ofsuspending or canceling a user account of the passenger.
 15. The methodof claim 9, wherein the controlling causes the camera to capture sensorinformation of a driver of the vehicle.
 16. The method of claim 15,wherein the method further comprises verifying an identity of the driverbased on the captured sensor information of the driver.
 17. Thenon-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein thecontrolling causes the camera to capture sensor information of a driverof the vehicle.
 18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage mediumof claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise verifying anidentity of the driver based on the captured sensor information of thedriver.